


Paris in the Rain

by keunahun



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Boys Kissing, Falling In Love, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Songfic, based off of paris in the rain by lauv, donghun is a photographer, junhee is someone he met while in paris for a shoot, very sweet, yeri is just a side character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-26 15:18:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19008448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keunahun/pseuds/keunahun
Summary: donghun managed to combine two of his favorite things into one career, traveling and taking pictures of whatever beauty he catches in the world. but, when he goes on the trip of a life time to the city of love, he adds a third thing to his list of a perfect career, falling in love.





	Paris in the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> hello !!!!!! i know it's been forever :[[[ almost a year and a half actually, since i posted anything. i went through an extreme case of writers block and wasn't happy with anything i was writing. but then this happened!!! i wrote this back in december/january and was too afraid to look at it or even touch it, but i feel a lot more comfortable with my words now so i'm here to share this! like i said, it was hard for me to touch this without tainting it so if there's any grammar/spelling mistakes please bear with me and let me know!!! i hope you all enjoy ! thank you for being patient <3
> 
> also! keep out on the look for maybe two more pieces for a.c.e as i'm working on another dongjun and a dongwow fic currently :]] (though i don't know when they'll be finished and published...)

One of the few perks of being a photographer is traveling to other countries. Though, it can be a nuisance as well. With having to be prepared to go anywhere, it’s hard to keep a suitcase always packed. That and making sure your passport won’t expire soon. In the end, it’s worth it because you get to see such breathtaking views and capture them for the whole world to see.

For Donghun, he never thought he’d be this lucky enough to have a job like this, but here he is, boarding the third flight of the month. As a child, he always wanted to be a singer, which he did try to pursue but realized that it wasn’t meant for him. So, during high school he was put in a photography class and that’s where his passion began. Once it was time for university, he decided he’d major in photography. Right away, his parents believed it’d be a waste of time and he would end up in piles of debt. Little did they or Donghun know he would end up with an amazing job that not only is what his degree is in, but it also pays extremely well.

This week, Donghun’s flying to Paris, the city of love. One of his wishes was to visit the country and some of its major cities, so this entire trip feels like a dream. The topic of focus is capture as much beauty as possible, and Donghun will do just what it takes. Never has he let any of his coworkers or managers down and this won’t be the first.

Thankfully, his last shoot was in the Netherlands so his flight shouldn’t be too long. If he were back in South Korea, it would’ve taken half a day to arrive. Another perk about his job is that he doesn’t have to worry about being able to speak whatever language is mainly spoken in the country he’s visiting. There’s either someone that travels with him or he meets at the airport once he lands that is fluent in the language being spoken there. It’s a life saving tip, really. Donghun tried to take English while in high school but he could never remember any phrases or words and always mispronounced words so he dropped it after the first year.

Once Donghun lands in Paris, he’s greeted with grey skies and a humidity that makes his skin feel like half-dried glue, sticky. Just his luck, the weather is unpleasant and not presentable for decent photographs. This isn’t the first time he’s had to deal with a situation like this, so he knows how to handle it. Hopefully the weather does clear up later in the week as he did want to go sightseeing.

When he exits the gate and gathers his luggage, he sees a man in a black suit holding up a sign with his surname in all capital letters. Donghun hopes this is for him. He couldn’t tell you how many times he was told there’d be a person to take him to the hotel and walked up to the wrong person. Once he almost sat inside the car before someone chased after the two, declaring that he was the actual Lee. Sometimes he got cursed at in a language he didn’t know a single word of. Now, he says his full name when approaching a driver, finally understanding he’s not the only person with the last name Lee.

The drive back to the hotel is more than beautiful despite all of the clouds hoarding the sky. It’s stunning, ravishing, exquisite, and so on. Quickly, Donghun pulls out his camera while his personal translator, Yerim, babbles on about the locations they should visit in order to get the best shots. Once he’s more than satisfied with the pictures he took, he smiles to himself and shuts his camera back off, saving the rest of the ride to view with his eyes, not his viewfinder.

Upon arriving to the hotel Donghun will be staying at for the next five days, give or take a few, it begins to rain. Luckily, it’s not a heavy downpour, just a trickle that doesn’t ruin the mood entirely. But honestly, nothing could ruin being in Paris. Well, unless a tornado decided to suddenly touch ground. Probably still Donghun would be more than blessed to experience trying to survive a tornado in Paris. Trying not to think of that scene, Donghun follows Yerim inside after retrieving his luggage from the trunk of the car. Even the inside of the hotel is gorgeous. Once more, he pulls his camera out and captures of few photos of the scenery inside the lobby.

While capturing the beauty of a potted plant near the entrance, Donghun is abruptly knocked off his feet and now sitting on the floor, praying his camera isn’t damaged. He looks up and sees another man, bags hanging from his shoulders.

“Uh… Pardon!!!” the man says, beginning to help Donghun up. “Tu… Bien?” he asks, pointing at the camera in Donghun’s hand.

It’s clear this guy isn’t a French native at all, but Donghun isn’t one to judge. At least he can say three words in French. As he’s not entirely sure about the state of his camera, Donghun only makes an okay symbol and the stranger smiles. Yerim calls him, telling him they’re checked in when suddenly the man in front of him gasps.

“You’re korean?” the man asks, shocked.

Donghun nods.

“Oh good, finally someone that I can converse to in a full sentence.” they both let out a chuckle. “But now I can actually apologize. Will your camera be okay? More importantly, you?”

“I don’t know about my camera, it should most likely be okay, but me, I think my butt is bruised now.” Donghun pretends to sound hurt, making the stranger feel guilty.

“Well I guess I’ll have to make up for it.”

“Perhaps so,” Donghun pulls a pen out of his pocket that he conveniently had and writes his number on the mans’ hand.

As Donghun is walking away to settle down in his hotel room, he realizes he forgot to tell the person his name, so he shouts, “I’m Donghun by the way!”

He waits until he’s sure the other heard properly and heads off to his room, a smile gently placed upon his face. Normally he isn’t the kind to be that straightforward, but after all, he is in the city of love. Maybe he’ll actually find someone to share lonely nights with, who can also deal with him being away for work every once in a while. That’s one of the downsides about his job, never being able to stay in a relationship. During his entire career, Donghun’s only been in one relationship, though it only lasted a couple months. Something about how they never see each other and video chatting wasn’t cutting it. It didn’t hurt Donghun too bad, though; he got over it rather quickly. That was years ago and he hasn’t been in an actual relationship since. Sure there were some nights when he had an occasional one night stand, but that was about it. Perhaps one day he’ll find someone who’ll be willing to deal with his career and care for him at the say time.

After unpacking and testing out the mattresses in his room, he receives a text from an unknown number. Not remembering the encounter from earlier, Donghun is expecting it to be a wrong number.

**Unknown** :

_Hello is this Donghun?_

**Donghun** :

_Yes_  

_Who is asking…?_  

**Unknown** :

_The stranger who has to make up for your_

_possibly bruised butt_

Donghun immediately smiles when he reads the message. From focusing on what he has to accomplish this week, he completely forgot about the man from the lobby who knocked him off his feet.

**Donghun** :

_Oh! Hello!! I didn’t think you_

_would actually_ _text me lol_  

_Btw… I don’t think I caught your name…_  

**Unknown** :

_Why wouldn’t I text someone as attractive as you?_

_Espc since I could’ve possibly hurt you :^(_

_Btw… I’m Junhee_

Donghun continues smiling to himself as he texts the man who now has a name. _Junhee…_  

Soon enough, his texting session with Junhee is cut short as he’s prompted to get ready because he has to go on a tour and get as many shots as possible. Sometimes he forgets that he can’t just relax, that he has a whole job to work and that these aren’t mini vacations. Donghun sighs and shoots a quick text to Junhee that he’ll have to continue talking to him later and plan that “date” he owes him. By chance, Junhee has to bounce as well and wishes him luck that he doesn’t hurt his butt any more.

It’s still raining while on the tour, but it’s more of a mist by now. Thankfully, Donghun brought along with him the cover for his camera for moments exactly like this. Even though it’s barely raining, the weather could easily change in a matter of seconds and ruin his main piece of equipment. It’s happened before, years ago, and he almost got fired due to the weather destroying his only camera. “You should always be prepared for everything!” his boss yelled at him multiple times once he arrived back at the offices in South Korea. Now, he brings whatever he can to prevent that scolding from repeating itself.

There’s still ten minutes until the tour officially begins so Donghun fiddles with the settings on his camera until then. Despite wearing a rain poncho, his hair becomes damp and fuller, thanks to the humidity. No large of a hood will be able to cover the poof that has now taken over his head. It’s a nightmare, but there’s nothing he can do, really.

While taking test-shots of the scenery, a face pops into view, or at least what seems could be a face, it’s hard to tell with the zoom so far in. Upon zooming out, Donghun smiles smally once he recognizes the item that is indeed a face.

“You never go anywhere without your camera, do you?” Junhee laughs.

“I don’t really have a choice, it’s kinda my job.”

Junhee looks perplexed, almost as if he isn’t aware about photography at all.

“I’m a photographer. I travel around the world or around Korea and take the pictures that end up in brochures, in articles, or in some wikipedia page.” Donghun explains, watching as the other’s world is opened up entirely.

On one half, Donghun hates explaining to people that he’s a photographer because he’s never sure what kind of reaction he’ll get. Sometimes he’ll get a good one, other times he’ll get a bad one; or even, those few times where someone says “Ah, that seems nice, but it probably doesn’t pay much, right?” He’s pretty tired of them at this point. Yes, most photography jobs don’t pay well, but his does and he gets to travel while Karen is sitting at home eating doughnuts wondering why she can’t travel the world like him.

Him and Junhee talk for a while more, and Donghun finds out that he’s attending the same tour. _Interesting…_ Donghun thinks while talking to the other. It seems so easy to talk to him, as if they’ve known each other for years.

“Photography actually wasn’t my passion, singing was, but I quit after realizing it really wasn’t.” he confesses to Junhee, who looks ecstatic.

“I used to be a trainee too! I only just left a couple months ago to pursue in acting instead.” Junhee exclaims a bit too loudly.

_Acting… huh…_

“So is that why you’re here? For some shoot… or…?”

Junhee exhales a small laugh, covering his mouth meanwhile. _Cute…_

“Oh, I wish. Sadly, no, I’m just here on vacation with family.”

Their conversation is soon interrupted by the tour guide, probably announcing that the tour is about to begin. Though, when he begins walking up the path and all the french speakers follow, Donghun realizes it’s starting now and that Yerim has already failed him.

The rain eases up and some of the suns’ rays filter through the clouds and shine down upon everyone on the path. This calls for Donghun to produce some pictures that can hopefully be used later on. More than half of the time, only a handful out of hundreds of photos are chosen. Every single one is filtered through a long process and by the end of it, three or four pictures are chosen as a final product though they might never even be used. To someone that isn’t in the business, that might seem depressing, but to any photographer, that’s a dream come true. Having a possibility of your photos being used in a professional article is better than sex. Ask any photographer that slaved over a camera for years just to get a degree that has little to no significance.

Donghun can feel Junhee’s glance on him whenever he focuses in on the subject, or clicks the shutter button. It’s somewhat creepy, but endearing. He’s never had someone watch him while on the job before. Not even his translators would watch, they’d just be on their phone until they had to actually do their job, which was rare since Donghun never really spoke to any of the natives, unless it was for consent to photograph them. They had an easy job that basically paid them for doing nothing, on Donghun’s behalf that is.

Throughout the tour, Donghun is taking pictures every second, not lowering his camera lower than his chest once. Everything is magnificent and glorious, taking his breath away every time a new part of scenery comes into the sight. This. This is what makes being a photographer worth it. Being able to see the most beautiful sights within this planet, and hopefully being able to capture its beauty so you can share it with others. Donghun feels a content spread through his chest, resulting in a smile to take over his face.

“You really enjoy this, don’t you?” Junhee asks, admiring how at peace Donghun looks.

“I really do, you have no idea.”

Donghun stands there for a while, completely forgetting about the group that’s far ahead of him and Junhee. All he wants to do for the rest of his life is sit here and watch the sun rise and fall beyond the skyline, watch nature be born during it’s prettiest and ugliest moments. However, if you were to ask Donghun, there never was an ugly moment for nature. Every bit of it is beautiful but in its own ways.

“I, uh, hate to disturb you in your moment, but the group is probably about a kilometer or so away…” Junhee speaks, breaking the endless silence.

After registering what the other said, Donghun snaps out of his trance and begins to sprint to the rest of the group, Junhee following in pursuit. They’re both beyond out of breath by the time they’re caught up, but it’s okay. Catching a quick glance Junhee, Donghun pauses like he did just a moment ago. The few rays few rays of sun that managed to escape the clouds barriers lay upon Junhee’s skin, providing him with a glowing aura. Quickly, before the other notices, he picks up his camera that’s dangling from his neck and clicks the shutter button, hoping to capture the same beauty that he’s witnessing with his own eyes. One… Two… Three… Okay seven clicks later until Junhee finally takes notice of what’s going on around him.

“Yah! What are you doing?”

“My job on this trip is to capture as much of Frances’ beauty as possible, and well…” Donghun strings on as many excuses as possible to make his story believable. To be fair, that is his job, and he can’t help what he finds beautiful.

“I’m- I’m not even French…”

“Though, you are in France.”

“Touché Donghun, touché.”

The rest of the tour, which is about five minutes, is beyond incredible. The sun finally comes out and opens up Donghun’s field even more. He’s already taken hundreds of photos, but whatever, he’ll filter through them himself before he sends them to go through the professional process. Junhee joins Donghun and Yerim in a ride back since they’re staying in the same hotel. Like before, Donghun has his camera out and snaps a few pictures as they’re riding back. Some of the scenery outside of the car and some of the scenery inside the car. Every time Donghun angles the camera so Junhee is barely in frame, the other shouts and attempts to swat the camera away.

“Just one picture, that’s it!”

So Donghun clicks the shutter button once… twice… thrice… and so on…

“I said one!!!” Junhee playfully shouts.

“Oh don’t act like you don’t love this.” Donghun teases, but nonetheless, it shuts Junhee up.

Soon enough, they’re at the hotel and since Donghun’s room is closer to the lobby, he offers to take Junhee up to where his room is. Yerim shoots him an eyeful saying, we will talk about this later, resulting in him exhaling a sigh. Junhee’s room is only a few floors higher than Donghun’s but he still wants to be nice, even though he did knock Donghun over just earlier that day.

“You really didn’t have take me up to my room, I’m a big boy, have you know it.”

“Yeah, sure,” Donghun scoffs after recalling the events that unfolded in the car ride moments ago. “You still owe me though, my butt has been feeling sore all day.”

They both let out a small laugh and smile. Donghun can feel his heart stammer just looking at the way Junhee smiles and vice versa.

“Text me when you’re free _Mr. Professional Photographer_ and we’ll go out.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Junhee entered his hotel room, leaving Donghun in his own devices. On the walk back to the elevator and to his hotel room, he thought of the possibilities of what they could do on their little “date” or whatever you want to call it. Not only that, he needed to know when he’d be free so they could adventure. But that isn’t going to happen without him being questioned by Yerim first.

Almost as soon as he walks through the door to his room, he’s attacked by Yerim, “So, that boy…”

“What about that ‘boy,’ whose name is Junhee by the way.” Donghun says, the words leaving his tongue bitterly.

“You know how busy you always are, dating would be difficult.”  
  
“Okay, one, I just met him some hours ago in the lobby, two, who are you to dictate how my relationships will be, and three, who said I want to date him. Maybe he’ll just be a fling like how it’s been for the past year or two.”

“Donghun, when I say this, it’s because I want you to know the truth before you have to experience it yourself.” she explains. “It’s not easy being in this business, especially with you. You’re always traveling, hell this is already your third trip of the month. I don’t want you to feel the burden.”

“How would you know what it’s like, no offense but you just translate things when needed.” Donghun doesn’t mean to sound so harsh, but it’s the truth.

“I used to be a photographer, but I never pleased any of the directors with my photos so they almost let me go, but kept me as a translator since I could speak Korean, English, and French. My point is, I had a girlfriend before I got the job, but a year or so into my career, she broke up with me for not being around enough. Sometimes people want you to have a good career and a good income but other times they just want you to be around. We ended up breaking up and that’s when my work began to deteriorate, resulting in me being a translator now,” she breathes out a breath she must have been holding in for a while. “My point is, even if you think you can make the time, it won’t end up well.”

Donghun is taken back a bit by the sudden exposure. He hadn’t realized she used to be a photographer like him, it must have been before Donghun joined the agency.

“Yerim… I’m sorry… I didn’t realize you were a photographer also…”

“Don’t let my past change how you feel about me, that’s not the point.” she bites. “I just want you to look out for yourself and understand how difficult it’ll be.”

“I know what it’s like, actually. Me and this guy started dating my first year but broke up a couple months later because he couldn’t deal with it. It didn’t really bother me at the time, but I get what you mean.”

“Good, now that you understand, I have your schedule printed out so you can set alarms, and if you must, schedule a date with Junhee.”

Donghun doesn’t realize he’s smiling until she points it out and leaves to go to the bathroom. This trip is about to be amazing.

Excitedly, he pulls his phone out and opens his messages Junhee after glancing over his schedule. There’s a note at the bottom that some events may change due to weather but that’s more than okay. A little rain hasn’t stopped him before.

**Donghun** :

_Hello~ I just received my schedule and_

_as of right now I’m free on Wednesday_

_and Thursday~_

Now that he looks at it, he really has no free time in between today (Monday) and Wednesday, which is a bummer. Later today he has to go visit the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, which is a good drive away from the hotel, apparently. Then tomorrow he’s booked for lunch (Yerim barely knows him yet already knows he’ll want to sleep in late) then afterwards he’s going on the Seine Cruise then visiting the Jardin du Luxembourg. Wednesday and Thursday are his final two days in the city and he’s able to do whatever he pleases; whether it be sleep all day, or roam around the area. After what seems like a bit, his phone chimes, revealing he received a message.

**Junhee** :

_Oh no, I leave Wednesday night :^(_

_You don’t have any time to squeeze in between then?_

Donghun feels saddened by the news and even more saddened as he’s not sure about a reliable answer to give to the other.

**Donghun** :

_I can see… But as of right now I don’t… Unless I cancel dinner_

_with my translator tomorrow and spend it with you instead…?_

**Junhee** :

_Hmm… I’ll have to see if my family has anything planned_

_but if not then we have ourselves a date ;^) I’ll let you know_

_asap!_

**Donghun** :

_As will I!_

 It’s nearing nine in the evening and Donghun begins to feels his eyes droop. Instead of trying to fight the feeling, he puts his phone down and tucks himself into the bed, hoping he’ll be able to see Junhee once more. Even though he has his number and a billion pictures of him saved on his SD card, it won’t be the same as seeing the other in person. Has he already grown attached to him? It’s barely been a day since their first encounter. Donghun tries not to think about it too much and instead focuses on trying to sleep.

Despite going to bed somewhat late, Donghun wakes up earlier than intended. There’s still some hours until his alarm will ring, but he makes the most of the morning and decides to begin getting ready. The thought of checking his phone to see if Junhee responded while he was asleep urks him but he sticks to his daily routine of not looking at his phone. He sits up and stretches, feeling all of muscles scream from the sudden movement after resting all night. Across from him, still sound asleep, is Yerim. Careful to not wake her, he carries on with his daily routine.

After what seems to be about an hour, Donghun feels like a new man. Freshly showered, his face clean of any upper lip or chin hairs trying to show, and so on. Though, his clothes probably aren’t the best as they’re wrinkled and have the smell of a suitcase rather than the fresh laundry scent he prefers.

Finally, he sits down on his bed and unlocks his phone, noticing a few missed calls from unknown numbers and a couple texts from Junhee. He can get to the missed calls later on, right now his main priority is trying to schedule some sort of meeting with Junhee. He normally wouldn’t put this much effort into seeing someone but it’s different this time.

**Junhee** :

_Hey! You’re probably still asleep but I have a free_

_hour tonight if you’re still able to have dinner :^)_

Donghun takes a mental note on how Junhee adds a nose to his emoticons and smiles to himself as he does so.

**Donghun** :

_Good morning~_  

_I completely forgot to ask as I passed out after we_

_stopped talking and my translator isn’t awake yet._

_but I’ll make sure to ask once she wakes up_  

It’s still early in the morning so he doesn’t expect a response right away. While he waits for Yerim to wake up, he turns on the television in the room and attempts to watch whatever is on currently. It’s a news forecast for the week; predicting cloudy skies and scattered showers throughout the city. The temperature isn’t supposed to be too hot, but the humidity says otherwise. All this tells Donghun is that he better get used to having poofy hair for the remainder of his trip, which ends on Friday morning. It’s a shame that he’s only here for a few days, but it’s better than not being here at all; finally, he can cross something off of his bucket list. One day he’ll be able to take his parents here so they can see the beauty like he will, hopefully, if he does, the weather is nicer then.

A half hour before Donghun’s alarm goes off, another one sounds, presumably Yerim’s. She reaches for her phone to terminate the sound and stretches. Once her eyes land on Donghun on the bed across from her, she smiles.

“Oh, good, you’re awake already.”

Before Donghun can even speak, Yerim is already out of bed and hustling around the room. Any time he goes to ask about maybe skipping dinner and having it with Junhee instead, she beats him to either saying something herself, or goes towards the bathroom. Eventually, Donghun gives up and decides to wait until she’s officially settled down to have the conversation with her.

Though, that’s not for another hour, as it seems. The only time Donghun has to speak to her about dinner is as they’re leaving for the first photoshoot of the day, but even then it’s still troublesome.

“Uh, Yerim, do you have a minute?” Donghun asks, hoping that the other pauses for one second.

“Not really, but what’s up?”

Of course.

“Well, that guy I met yesterday—“

“Junhee?”

“Yes, Junhee. Anyway, his only free time to spend before he leaves is coincidentally the same time we’re having dinner at that restaurant tonight…” Donghun manages to get out in a single breath.

“So, what I’m hearing is that you want me to give up a dinner in Paris, that happens to have a perfect view of the Seine River, for you and some guy you met only yesterday?”

“Yes…?”

There’s a long pause before Yerim speaks again and it makes Donghun feel tense. Is this too much to ask for? Maybe she’ll understand. She’s young and knows what it’s like to be in love, hopefully. Though, Donghun necessarily isn’t in love, is he?

“Fine, but you owe me big time.” Yerim finally responds after what feels like hours.

A blinding smile spreads across Donghun’s face and he rushes to hug her.

“There’s no time! We’ll be late if we don’t leave now!”

Once they’re in a cab on the way to the location for the first photoshoot, Donghun pulls out his phone to tell Junhee the good news. As he does, it seems the other is up and sent a good morning text as well.

**Junhee** :

_Good morning to you too~_

_Hope to see you tonight x_

The two most basic messages cause Donghun’s heart to skip a beat or two.

**Donghun** :

_Good news! My translator gratefully said she’ll let us have dinner together tonight._  

_Dress nicely!!! I’ll pick you up at your room around 7 x_

He tucks his phone back into his pocket and pulls out his camera instead to capture more of the gloomy beauty of France from outside the cab window.

It seems as though time has no plan to go by fast enough so Donghun can enjoy a pleasant night with Junhee. It’s only been an hour or two since he left the hotel, but it feels like decades have passed. There’s still another hour until lunch and then another three until they leave for their next location. As much as he should be enjoying this, he’s not. Donghun rather be on vacation here, not because of his job. There isn’t a moment where he can relax since the whole purpose of this trip is to capture the beauty of France, and to be honest, everything here is beautiful in Donghun’s eyes. Hopefully others will think that as well. To think that all his hard work may pay off is what keeps him going. Once, he found a brochure of a national park in the United States and a picture he took was in it. The feeling was great and Donghun will live to feel it again at least once more.

Lunch is the only time for him to properly relax, but even then it’s hard to. The scenery is nothing like Donghun’s ever seen. Cherry Blossoms everywhere, the craftsmanship of the building they’re inside of, all the natural light flowing in, giving everything a vibrant filter. The list could go on. It isn’t helpful that the ceiling of the building is beautifully painted, every detail and brush stroke clear to see. It pains him to not whip out his camera and capture the beauty in front of him. Yerim must notice how tense he is and tells him to just enjoy his lunch and breathe.

Somehow, Donghun survives the rest of his lunch break and makes a mental note to go back there one day and take a million photos, just for himself. Yerim and him have a small break before they leave for the next location so they spend it walking around with no end goal in mind. However, they can’t walk too far or else there’s a chance they’ll be late to the next photoshoot, which is on a walking tour for the Versailles Palace.

The phone in Donghun’s front pocket vibrates once they call for a cab to head to the next location. Eager to see whom it’s from, he pulls the phone out and frowns when it’s only a message about his data usage. The hope of it being Junhee dissipate quickly. Should he be this attached already?

During the ride, all thinks about is if it’s healthy to fall for a person this quickly. The thought occupies his mind for the remainder of the can ride and shoot. Yerim can sense Donghun’s sudden mood change and confronts him.

“Something’s bothering you,” she begins.

“I’m fine.”

“I refuse to believe that. You normally have this look in your eye and always let out some sort of onomatopoeia because of the view. Neither are present right now, therefore I am right.”

Donghun drops the camera from in front of his face and sighs.

“Okay, maybe I’m not fine.” he admits.

Yerim walks towards a nearby bench, sits down, then pats for Donghun to do the same. And so he does.

“The last relationship I had was more than a year ago and it didn’t work out due to this job. I said I was fine when it ended, but it hurt, and I don’t want to hurt again.” Donghun admits. The rest of the tourists are far ahead of them now, but it doesn’t matter. Donghun already has a million pictures, surely he won’t need anymore.

“You can’t control whether you’ll hurt again or not, it’s just something you have to deal with. What you can control, however, is if you’ll let that thought stop you from being happy.” Yerim softly speaks, “If you like Junhee, then go for it, but don’t let something you have _no_ control over control _you_.”

Despite her young age, Yerim somehow always knows what to say. That makes Donghun think how much she’s been through to say statements like that, but that’s for another time.

“You’re right… Thank you…”

They both get up and end the conversation with a quick hug. Realizing that the rest of the group is far, _far_ ahead of them, they run to catch up to finish the tour.

With a little over an hour or so until the dinner reservations, Donghun and Yerim make it back to the hotel after the last photoshoot of the day. For the remainder of his free time, Donghun freshens up, coordinates his outfit, gains Yerim’s approval, and gathers as much confidence as possible in front of the bathroom mirror.

As an alarm rings, signaling for Donghun to go get Junhee, he suddenly feels every ounce of confidence leave his body, replacing it with tons of anxiety instead. He has no time to panic or the two of them will be late for the reservations. Quickly, Donghun shuts off the alarm and leaves the hotel room, heading for the elevator to pick up Junhee. Hopefully, if tonight goes well, maybe they’ll see each other again in Korea. _Oh no, I never asked if he actually lives in Korea_ , Donghun thinks to himself as he presses the correct floor button inside the elevator. There’s no time to panic as the elevator doors open up and Junhee’s room is right down the hall. Upon finding the room, he raises his hand to knock on the door, but can’t bring himself to complete the action. Using all the force he can, he knocks hardly against the door.

Moments later, the door finally opens after what feels like years, and Junhee is present. When Donghun told him to dress nicely, he wasn’t sure what to expect, now that the other is standing in front of him, he freezes up again.

“Donghun?”

“Yes. Hello. That’s me.” he says in the most monotone voice possible, not on purpose. The outfit modeled on the other renders him speechless. How can someone look that good?

“Are you… okay?” Junhee asks, unsure how to react.

“Uh,” panic settles into Donghun’s bloodstream once more, leaving his brain not functioning properly at all, “You. Nice.”

_Good job._

“I nice…?” Junhee asks, still unsure of what to do.

Every muscle in Donghun’s body tenses up. No thought of his to cover that up crosses his mind. Everything is ruined and Junhee probably wants nothing to do with him now.

“We should go, we might be late.” Junhee says, moving past Donghun’s stiff body and towards the elevator.

The other’s movement registers in Donghun’s brain, finally, and he rushes after Junhee, who’s now nearing the elevator.

The cab ride to the hotel is no better. Both of them are completely silent, filling the atmosphere with a toxicating level of awkwardness. The entire night is beyond ruined thanks to Donghun’s brain failing him. Or really, is it because Junhee looks so good and that’s why Donghun’s brain failed him. Yeah, we’ll go with that.

They make the reservations just in time, the awkward feeling following them inside the restaurant. Perhaps there’s a way Donghun can apologize for everything, yet his brain cannot complete that task. Any apology he comes up with is foreshadowed to end horrifically and the two never speak again. Donghun cringes behind his menu, trying not to gain attention from the other.

When they finally order, Donghun realizes he can’t hide anymore as the menus are gone and he’s now face to face with Junhee.

“‘You look nice.’ Is what I was trying to say back at the hotel…” Donghun speaks up, hopefully loud enough for the other to hear but quiet enough for the entire restaurant to not hear.

“Oh… Thank you… You look nice too.” Junhee says, a smile prominent on his face.

Donghun knows that he’s saying that out of pity. His outfit is nowhere near nice, more towards lazy casual.

“So… I was wondering if you actually live in Korea or not…” Donghun says, attempting to push the awkwardness away.

“You’re in luck, I do. I live in Seoul.”

Soon enough, the conversation is flowing smoothly and the atmosphere is less toxicating now. All it takes is a minute or two of small talk, which everyone seems to hate, except for Donghun right now.

Their meals are presented upon the table and they carefully dig in, each letting a satisfied groan escape. Never has a meal tasted this _fresh_ in the twenty-six years of Donghun’s life. The flavor taking place within his mouth is as beautiful as all the scenery he’s seen the past two days. If only he could take a picture of the flavor.

After the main meals and dessert are finished and the bill is paid for, thankfully by the company Donghun works for, the two leave the restaurant and head for a stroll beneath the setting sun.

_There’s no way Paris can be any prettier,_ Donghun thought to himself before relishing in the sun’s final rays of the day. The only odd thing about this trip is how everything is proving him wrong. Never before has he seen so much beauty within two days, gone on dates with a stranger while on the job, or fallen for said stranger. His mind quickly escalates back to his previous thought, filling him with worry. What if Junhee doesn’t feel the same way? What if after this trip they never see each other again and it was all for nothing. He remembers what Yerim told him earlier, but it drowns in the worrying thoughts flooding his mind. All the tension in his body causes him to stop in his track without realizing, leaving Junhee walking without him.

It takes the other a couple seconds to realize Donghun is no longer beside him, resulting in him to turning around where Donghun is meters behind him.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Junhee asks once they’re side by side again. Donghun can only nod, even though he doesn’t want to. He wants to yell out every word occupying his mind right now but he can’t. All he can do is look Junhee in the eye and lie by nodding.

“I don’t think that’s true. Am I right?” Junhee asks, this time holding onto Donghun’s hand. Donghun nods once more.

Before he knows it, his legs are finally moving, following Junhee who’s walking towards a bench. _There’s so many benches here…_ is all Donghun can think of. Junhee sits down first, hand still holding onto Donghun’s. He pats to the empty spot next to him before Donghun sits down.

“We’ll sit here for as long as we need, take your time.”

Donghun realizes the situation and squeezes onto Junhee’s hand. It feels beyond warm compared to the numbness of his own.

“Junhee,” Donghun begins, “I really like you.”

It’s all he can say, despite his mind wanting to shout more. He shifts his glance from his hand to lock with Junhee’s eyes. They’re just as warm as the man’s hands. Everything about him is warm compared to Donghun.

In a matter of seconds, Junhee’s free hand is cupping Donghun’s face and their lips are connected. Donghun melts into the kiss and moves his hands to wrap around and lightly interlock at the nape of Junhee’s neck. The kiss ends as quickly as it began, leaving the two leaning against each other’s foreheads.

“Donghun,” Junhee whispers into the air, “I really like you too.”

“You better after pulling something like that.” Donghun scolds, smiling at the end.

He’s pulled into another chaste kiss before feeling drops of rain land upon him. The few drops quickly escalate to dozens, leaving the two of them nowhere near dry.

“As much as I would love to keep kissing you, I did promise my family I’d be home by nine, and I rather not be in the rain.” Junhee says after planting one more kiss on the other’s lips.

“I agree, with the second half.”

Once they’re back at the hotel, safe from the sudden downpour, they head towards the elevator so Junhee can get back to his family. The realization only hits him now that after tonight, or possibly tomorrow morning, it might be a while until he sees Junhee again. All the bliss he felt just moments ago are now replaced with feelings of emptiness.

Upon reaching Junhee’s room, Donghun pulls the other into a rather sloppy kiss. Junhee reacts immediately, placing his hands at Donghun’s waist, attempting to get as close as possible. Once they pull apart, a string of saliva connecting their lips is drooping towards the floor. Donghun takes the few moments he has left of the night to admire Junhees’ features, and curse himself for not having his camera with him.

“I hope there’s time for me to see you before your flight tomorrow,” Donghun pouts. However, the expression painted on Junhees’ face fills him with doubt.

“I leave in the middle of the night, so I’m afraid this is the last time until you get back to Korea.”

Just like that, the moods of the two plummet. A flutter of hope disappears inside Donghun as quick as you can blow a candle out. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to fly back home by the end of this trip, or not, and that’s a downside about his job. Remembrances of his previous relationship strike him, but he pushes it down, not wanting Junhee to sense him being upset.

“Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye, for now…” saying that sentence leaves a bitter taste on his tongue, impossible to swallow as well.

“Text me when you’re back in Korea, I’ll be waiting.”

And with that, Junhee leaves Donghun alone in the hallway. It’s safe to say that the feeling of hopelessness is already making itself feel at home within Donghun, but it won’t be the first time.

The next morning, Donghun sees he has a few unread text messages, mostly from Junhee. While reading through them, he can’t help but find a smile making its way across his face. How can someone he’s only known for three days make him feel so wholesome?

As if time decides to betray Donghun, it feels like eternity since Junhee left, leaving the elder more lonely than ever. Though, when it’s Friday morning, and he’s handed a plane ticket to South Korea, everything is suddenly beyond incredible.

Before he has to leave to catch his flight, he walks around the hotel area and takes a few more photos, mainly for him. This turned out to be one of his favorite work trips; he got to see sights he only ever dreamed of, and ran miles outside of his comfort zone by going out with a complete stranger. Nothing Donghun’ll do in the future will compare to this and he’s a hundred percent okay with that.

The flight back home is too long, but it’s worth the wait when he finally enters his apartment after almost a month of not being there. All of his plants are still alive and thriving, resulting in Donghun to set a reminder to thank his neighbors, once he gets a good night's rest. He removes everything from his suitcase and settles them back where they belong amongst his apartment.

Right before he crawls into bed, despite it being the middle of the day, Donghun unlocks his phone and finds his messages with Junhee. His eyes begin to droop as he types out a message and manages to send it before passing out for the rest of the day and night.

**Donghun** :

_Hey are you busy this weekend?_


End file.
